ABSTRACT
One of the compensations of the academic life is having an excuse to travel to exotic locations, and some less exotic, ostensibly ‘conferring’ while also compensating for the disembodied dullness of geography lessons in school. Starting with AERA’s annual pilgrimage around American cities, offering an education outside of the windowless conference rooms, in this first of two parts some ‘urban myths’ are explored (Trepidation in Trenton, Safe in Soweto, Insouciant in Bangkok, Unimpressed in Uzbekistan, Sabotaged in Sacramento, Learning In Latin America), in each case highlighting the power of context in shaping the nature of learning and teaching and the nature of ‘danger’, real or perceived. The chapter concludes with the International Leadership Research Network (ILERN) project and the inspirational leadership of South Africa’s first black dean – an uplifting account of meeting racism with tough-minded humility.
